Jeff wrote:Flickta, you are a genius.
Best first post ever.
Thank You Evil Twin Jeff!
[I'm not serious, I know that is not your name]
(Yours was the best 85th post I have ever seen
)
Now I'll go and spoil it all... Well, enough of that.
I'll do my best to post some more 'curious' things here.
I haven't seen Wolfire's current title - "Lugaru" in action (not that this is a hint or something... or is it?) but I see it as a 3rd Person... hack & slash game.
(btw, everyone who has a PC should immediately buy "Blade of Darkness" [sure you won't try to get it by other means...] and look at its battle-system. There was a discussion about limb severing somewhere on the forums - limb severing is good... combined with a children lock, of course. And if SoS ever sees the light of day - limb severing could be used, enemies are just robots, after all!) Back to topic. Lugaru is meant as a 3rd person, SoS - as a 1st Person. at least it is default in the beta.
Combining two paradigms is impossible.
Making SoS a second Oni (if I am not mistaken, resemblance to Oni is mentioned even in description on the site, and then there is 'Onish' breaking glass - placed by pressing 'G' key in editor mode - regrettably, it can't be used in maps now) is difficult without melee combat. Oni was good at melee, weapons being a nice addition, sometimes even spoiling the game. My Mercury rifle was always better then enemies' kung-fu.
So, SoS (oh well...) in a current state is a [beta of] 1st person shooter without (yet?) unreal-like engine (high-polygonal and reasonably fast at that) and story-line. But those bullet-holes, crawling enemies with disabled legs, arms etc...
What is needed to make a modern 1st Person shooter interesting (and successful, yes)?
1 Graphics (Great graphics aren't necessarily those supported only by high end accelerators and processors. Black Shades has great graphics, Avara has... UT2004 also
)
2 Game-play (Ah, incidentally, is there a way to disable auto-aim in SoS beta?)
3 Story (excuse my constant repetitions, but Marathon is an example to follow)
4 Unique features. These are usually (with today's game budgets) the same as #1 - cool graphics. But sometimes they are different. An ability to upgrade yourself in the course of the game mentioned on the page about SoS is great. It has been mentioned here in the forum... But I still do not understand, what meaning does it have? Is it an upgrade which brings new functionality? Like cloaking device, night-vision, faster running... But how can player's accuracy and reflexes be improved? Auto aiming is not the right way. Or these upgrades are needed to support robot's existence - as a replacement for damaged parts? Or (the best way...) as both?
I'd like to know more about the future of this project. Something from the author. What are the chances for SoS to take its final shape, whatever it will be? Long waiting for another game resulted in a strange feeling - I just don't need it anymore. And Bungie is dead. I hope, wolfire will succeed... I hope it will succeed not as an xBox 2 developer.
Now, for the most patient of you, my readers, the disclaimer! Here it is: I do not have too much time, honestly. I have lots of other things to do besides reading - and posting in - the forums. But this place is somewhat relaxing... And twenty minutes spent writing this message bring peace to my tired mind. Now all meditate!
Nik[/i]